TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) -- South Columbus High School sophomore running back Cephus McGill died Sunday night from a health related incident. McGill was expected to be one of the top running backs in the Three Rivers Conference in 2014. During his sophomore season he was primarily a backup, but he managed to lead the team in rushing against Red Springs. McGill rushed for 145 yards against South Brunswick. McGill rushed for two touchdowns against West Columbus.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Hoggard High School senior Trevor Singleton has signed to play college basketball at Cloud County Community College in Kansas. Singleton missed most of his senior season due to a stress fracture in his left leg. Singleton was named to the First Team All-WWAY Full Court Press Team as a sophomore and junior.

ALBANY, GA (CFCC RELEASE) -– For the seventh time in ten seasons the Cape Fear Community College men's golf team has captured the Region 10 Tournament Championship. The Sea Devils found themselves one shot back from USC Lancaster after day one, but were eager to get back to the links for round 2.

"I think we got our butterflies out of our system and played some good golf in round 2," said Sea Devil head coach Rick Stewart. The good golf led to a 3 over par 291, giving the Sea Devils a commanding lead heading into the final round. On the final day, CFCC once again topped the leader board as they came in 13 shots ahead of second place USC Lancaster. Cape Fear finished with a final score of 911, 31 strokes ahead of the closest competition.

Sophomore Tanner Pearson led the charge for the Sea Devils as he fired a 222, earning Region 10 Player of the Year honors. Fellow teammate Matt Elliott joined Pearson on the five member All Region team, finishing the tournament at 228. The tournament championship win advances the Sea Devils to the NJCAA National Tournament at Spirit Hollow CC in Burlington, Iowa on May 13-16."I am proud of the progression we have made through the season, said Stewart. Now we will refocus our attention on the National Tournament and bringing Cape Fear home a National Title."

Linkous fueled the Seahawks from the bottom of the order, hitting .778 last week, going 7-for-9 in three games. Against Towson, he was 7-for-8 (.875) with two doubles, four runs scored and four knocked in. He posted a 1.000 slugging percentage while setting a career-high with three RBI’s in the opener against Towson and tying his career-high with four hits in the series finale. Since moving into the starting lineup during the Hofstra series, Linkous is hitting a smoldering .579 (11-for-19), slugging .684 and getting on base at a .619 clip.

Batts improved to 3-0 in the league after limiting Towson to two hits and an unearned run over eight innings in the series opening win for the Seahawks. Batts didn’t allow a hit after the second inning and retired 17 of the final 18 hitters he faced. He struck out four to move into second on the NCAA’s active strikeout leader list with 304. Batts ranks fourth on UNCW’s all-time list with 277. The senior from Winston-Salem, N.C., has now won or shared the award two other times prior to this week. UNCW also has had Nick Monroe and Ryan Foster earned CAA pitching honors this season.

The Seahawks return to action with the first of two mid-week games on Tuesday when future CAA rival Elon visits Brooks Field for a 6 p.m. start. UNCW then visits NC State on Wednesday, also a 6 p.m. start, before visiting Delaware in a key conference series in Newark.

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CHAPEL HILL (NCHSAA) -- Meg Keeter Fletcher of West Brunswick High School and Alexander Bruce White of Maiden High School have been named the recipients of the ninth annual Clary Medals awarded by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
The two outstanding student-athletes will be recognized at the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 1, at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Clary Medal is made possible through the generosity of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation through the NCHSAA Endowment. It annually recognizes an outstanding male and female student-athlete, who will each receive a $2,000 scholarship to further his or her education at the college level.
To be eligible for the award, a student must be a senior at an NCHSAA member school, participate on at least two athletic teams, maintain at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrate excellence in athletic participation, extra-curricular activities and community service.
Fletcher has been an excellent athlete at West Brunswick, competing in varsity swimming, soccer and outdoor track. She basically holds all of the school’s records in swimming and served as captain of both the swimming and the women’s soccer team, where she played goalkeeper. She earned all-conference honors in both swimming and soccer.
She has excelled academically, ranked number one in her class with a 4.833 grade point average, and performs in the West Brunswick Show Choir. Meg has also been tremendously involved in civic and church activities, including serving as chairman of service projects for the Interact Club at her school, which helped organize a golf tournament and purchased toys for Operation Santa Claus. She has also participated in the Relay for Life and several outreach projects at New Beginnings Community Church.
Meg will be enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.
White has been a varsity football player for three years, with two years as a varsity basketball player and track and field athlete. He was a two-time all-conference selection in football, playing linebacker and tight end as a senior, served as captain of the basketball team as a junior and was the MVP of last year’s track squad.
An outstanding student, he holds a 4.75 grade point average and has received a number of academic honors at Maiden. He has been involved in a variety of community service projects, including the Special Olympics and as a volunteer buddy at the Conover School for special needs children. He was chosen as a Carolina Panthers’ Community Captain for his service.
Alex has been accepted at Harvard University, where he will start school in the fall and also plans to play football.
The award is in memory of Wilburn Columbus Clary, a member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame who was an outstanding coach and game official. He served as the executive secretary of the old Western North Carolina High School Activities Association from 1948 through 1977, when its schools joined the NCHSAA. Clary was also the first collegiate football official to be inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
“Both of these award winners are exemplary citizens and student-athletes,” said Davis Whitfield, NCHSAA commissioner. “Meg and Alex are outstanding selections for the Clary Medals, one of the top awards the NCHSAA can present to a student.”

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WILLIAMBSBURG, VA (UNCW) -- Eleven proved to be a lucky number, indeed, for the UNCW women’s tennis team.
The No. 1-seeded Seahawks won their 11th straight match and it couldn’t have been any more dramatic as Coach Evan Clark’s team edged No. 2 seed College of Charleston, 4-3, to capture their first Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Tennis Championship late Sunday at William & Mary’s Millie West Tennis Facility.
UNCW extended its record to 17-3 overall and finished a perfect 7-0 in the CAA with Sunday’s thrilling win. The Seahawks downed No. 8 Hofstra, No. 4 James Madison and No. 2 CofC in succession en route to the championship.
The Seahawks made their first appearance in the CAA finals last spring and were determined to take advantage of this year’s return trip. With the match knotted at 3-all, it all came down to the No. 1 singles match, where 2014 CAA Player-of-the-Year Angie Sekely delivered a 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory against Kelly Kamboourelis to secure the school’s first conference women’s title.
“It was a special day for a special group of players,” said second-year Head Coach Evan Clark. “We talked last night about finding a way to win. It was a tight match and we just found a way. Give credit to the College of Charleston for playing a tough match.
“It makes it even more special to be the first team in the school’s history to win the conference women’s tennis championship. I was fortunate to inherit a great group and we added on to it. It’s a nice feeling to get that first one.”
Charleston grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the match by taking two of the three doubles matches for the early point. It was only the third time this season the Seahawks dropped the doubles point.
UNCW’s No. 3 team of Kelly Cameron and Miller Hales remained unbeaten by blanking Brooke McAmis and Grace Baker, 8-0, for their 13th win of the season without a loss. But Charleston bounced back with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to grab the momentum.
“It’s always nice to win the doubles point,” Clark reflected, “but we didn’t push the panic button. There were still six points out there. Charleston played great in doubles, but you have to give credit to our team for finding a way in singles.”
The Cougars increased the margin to 2-0 in singles when Mara Arygriou won in straight sets over UNCW freshman Annika Sillanpaa, 6-4, 6-1, at the No. 3 position. Senior Olga Blank then got the Seahawks on the board with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over McAmis at No. 2 singles to slice the lead to 2-1.
UNCW pulled even on the next match off the court when junior Alyssa Ritchie downed Samantha Maddox, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 4 singles and then jumped ahead, 3-2, on a 7-6 (4), 6-2 decision by Cameron at No. 6 singles over Jenny Falcone.
Charleston bounced back to tie the score at 3-all, however, on a 6-4, 6-4 victory by Katherine Schofield against Christine Kharkevitch at No. 5 singles, setting up the decisive match at No. 1 singles.

WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Displaying the dominance that has been prevalent during their current nine-match winning streak, UNCW won its fourth Colonial Athletic Association men’s tennis championship with a 4-0 victory over the College of Charleston early Sunday at William & Mary’s Millie West Tennis Facility.
The 46th-ranked and top-seeded Seahawks earned the CAA’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and pushed their record to 15-6 on the season. The College of Charleston, rated 66th by the ITA, was making its first appearance in the tourney and owns an 18-6 record.
The shutout gave the Seahawks back-to-back titles and their fourth CAA crown in six years. UNCW has now won the men’s championship in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
UNCW successfully defended its title Sunday with the same recipe it has used over the last month. The Seahawks have shut out three of their last four opponents and improved to 6-4 against nationally-ranked teams with Sunday’s convincing win over the Cougars.
The Seahawks took control of the CAA final early by claiming the doubles point behind the No. 1 and No. 2 tandems. The No. 2 team of Pedro Mol and Kaue Pereira dominated Rodrigo Encinas and Crescente Lesser, 8-2, to be the first off the court and CAA Player-of-the-Year Rafael Aita paired with Sam Williams for an 8-5 decision against Brice Allanic and Alon Faiman to secure the point.
In singles, Aita, ranked 48th, crushed Allanic, 6-2, 6-1, at the top of the lineup to give the Seahawks a 2-0 advantage and Pereira increased the margin to 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Zack Lewis at the No. 4 position. Sophomore Santtu Leskinen then delivered the championship clincher with a 6-1, 6-2 pounding of Charlie Ghriskey at No. 5 singles.
Aita took over sole possession of No. 2 on UNCW’s all-time singles wins list, passing former great John Shackelford. The Lima, Peru, product has compiled a 63-17 record over the last four seasons, second only to Kinshuk Sharma (2007-11) at 65-24.
The UNCW men, who have been ranked as high as No. 44 this spring, now wait for the pairings for the NCAA Regionals. The Seahawks went 1-1 in the NCAA’s last May, upsetting No. 18 South Carolina before losing to No. 9 Duke in the Durham Regional.

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